Don't Go Into The Woods
by Eko-Sama
Summary: "Don't go into the Woods." These words were drilled into every young child's mind. Many have question why the Woods have been deemed forbidden. Some say that those who enter have terrible curses casted onto them. Others say that horrendous monsters from nightmares will snatch you up and devour you. But the truth? Well... That's a whole different story. *SYOC Open*
1. Prologue

**~Don't Go Into The Woods~**

 **Prologue**

* * *

 _"Don't go into the Woods." These words were drilled into every young child's mind. From a young age, every human being is told not to enter the woods that borders around post-apocalyptic cites. Many have question why the Woods have been deemed forbidden. Some say that those who enter have terrible curses casted onto them. Others say that say horrendous monsters from nightmares will snatch you up and devour you. But the truth? Well... That's a whole different story._

 _The truth is the Woods do not inhabit monsters who haunt you in your worse dreams, nor does it have curses that will torment your family for generations to come. In fact, some of the creatures that live amongst these thick trees are something...human, half of them anyways. They're called 'Shapeshifters'._

 _Shapeshifters are exactly what they sound like. They are humans who have been born with animal DNA. Long ago, they resided peacefully with humans of the world in secret, of course. But that all changed._

 _Endless pride, envy, greed and natural curiosity were the cause of it. Humans had found out that Shapeshifters lived amongst them after a series of rogue attacks from a couple of Shapeshifters who didn't like to obey any rules the Shapeshifters had. Because of the attacks, humans were convinced that the Shapeshifters were indeed evil creatures. So they sought them out, most scientists conducting experiments on them because they felt that it was unfair that these ungodly beasts that they dubbed as 'Shapeshifters' had these unique abilities while others could not and tried to figure out what made 'Shapeshifters' so special while others drove them out, straight into the dreadful Woods or even killed them. Eventually, the scientists created a serum that turned mere humans into Shapeshifters. So people were called to volunteer as test subjects to the serum days later. Those who were willing to be tested like subject were gave the serum. At first, the volunteer subjects shown remarkable display of animal-like abilities, being able to shift into animals with ease and such. A few hours later, all of those who received the serum mystically dropped dead. The problem was… the test subjects that died, came back within a few hours...to a few mintues...to a few seconds. However, what makes you 'You' did not come back in any of the test subjects._

 _Because of that fatal and inhumane mistake, dreadful and evil creatures were made. These creatures cared nothing for anyone or anything, besides ripping, slicing, killing, eating or slaughtering anyone around them, whether the people were friend or foe. Those creatures were left with nothing, but their animalistic and selfish desires and with a want to infect both human and Shapeshifters._

 _Those creatures were also driven into the Woods, along with the Shapeshifters while the Humans at least tried to stay inside cities, which became known as 'Quarantine Zones'._

 _Over time, the Shapeshifters learned to adapt to life in the wild and made communities and also learned how to stay away from those creatures that used to be human. By day, they would sneak into cities to blend amongst the people and make sure their brothers and sisters were safe from the humans; by night, they fly, roam, and prance all around the thick trees and beautiful meadows that make up the Woods._

 _But that was 20 years previously, after the deadly brain-altering pandemic spread and infected nearly 60% of the world's population, possibly more. Cities across United States and Canada were placed under martial law, and under the control of homeland security and the military. Most thought that Shapeshifters had died out long ago, due to being alone in the Woods with the creatures that they created for so long. However, news of the Shapeshifters' status has reached the ears of the combine government of the U.S and Canada and now, they are on a hunt for the half-human and half-animal's blood while the whispers of "Don't go into the Woods." are more urgent than ever._

 _Which side will survive? The Humans or the Shapeshifters?_

* * *

 **So, I've decided to open the SYOC again... Yay~**

 **The species below are the ones that will be in this story (a.k.a. your characters).**

* * *

 **Shapeshifters**

Shapeshifters are unique beings who were born with half human and half animal DNA. Shapeshifters are able to shift of their own will, and some may prefer to stay in their animal forms most of the time. The maximum number of DNA codes that a Shapeshifter may have is three.

For example, a Shapeshifter has three DNA codes. Two of them will be dominant while the other is subdominant, so let's say that the Shapeshifter has human, fox, and eagle as their three DNA codes. The human and fox DNA codes are the dominants while the subdominant DNA code is the eagle. Since the Shapeshifter's dominant animal coding is of a fox, the Shapeshifter, while in their human form, may have sharper canine teeth or a tail or some characteristic that deals with the fox. Now this would change if the Shapeshifter's dominant animal coding would be of the eagle, because then the Shapeshifter, while in human form, might have a set of wings because of their dominant bird coding. Other DNA codes such as reptiles or whatever will have other special traits/characteristics on a Shapeshifter's body while they are in human form. Although Shapeshifters (who have three), who have a dominant and subdominant animal DNA coding, they are able to change into both forms of the animal fully. Even while in human form, most do still retain their animal like-abilities such as sense of smell or sense of hearing, ect.

As of now, most Shapeshifters resided in the multiple communities hidden within the Woods. Also, Shapeshifters do reside in the cities, however, it's kind of more dangerous there than being in the communities.

 **Creatures or Zombies**  
They are the failed experiment of Scientists trying to turn Humans into Shapeshifters. Not much is known about them, other than they have reduced brain functions and they are 'undead.' Shapeshifters are slightly immune to the infection (Shapeshifters' immune system is significantly higher than humans due to the infection not infecting animals. Their immune system is capable of defeating the virus, but multiple bites/scratching can lead them to turning (a.k.a. death).) Humans may be bitten only once or twice before turning (a.k.a. dying) into one of these things. Human being scratched by these things usually doesn't mean turning or dying, but it's best to avoid getting scratched by this things.

As of now, these things reside in the Woods, but never enter the cites unless of special circumstances.

 **Humans  
** Humans are well…beings that are 'normal' so to speak. They do not have any special "abilities" or anything really. The military and homeland security has issued out a select team of military officers to hunt and track down Shapeshifters. Some of the humans don't know if Shapeshifters are extinct or not, due to not hearing about them for over 10 years.

As of now, humans reside in the Cities, which are under the control of homeland security and the military.

* * *

 **Rules**

 **1\. Send your character(s) to me in PM.  
2\. Make the subject as DGITW : OC's Name. I will PM you if your OC has met my standards.  
3\. I'm only looking for interesting OCs, not bland or stereotypical OCs which can get really boring really fast. They may have only one or two stereotypes if you really want them too.  
4\. If you really need help with creating your character(s), PM me about it.  
5\. This story is not first come, first serve. I want you guys to create great quality characters (meaning I want you to spend as much time as possible with creating your character). Also, no reservations - This is ain't no damn five-star restaurant, get the F outta here if you think that. XD  
6\. No overly perfect people… I hate those bastards "Gary Stus" and whores "Mary Sues." They annoy me to no end.  
7\. All hair/eye colors are accepted.  
8\. Be creative, and original. Like why would you want your character to be an exact copy of someone elses' or an exact copy of one of your already made character? Come on now, be creative and original. *note: you can send in characters you've already sent to other SYOCs, I don't mind.  
9\. Even though this story is supernatural/fantasy-like, I really want you to be realistic with your character(s).  
10\. Please have good grammar otherwise I'll have a heart attack. o.O  
11\. Just try to have fun while filling the app out. Usually, when you have fun filling out an OC app, the OC shouldn't be boring and stuff. That is all.**

* * *

 **Information  
  
1\. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States/Canada.  
2\. It's been 20 years since Creatures/Zombies have made their appearance so the year of the story takes place in 2035-2036.  
3\. The season is Winter so dress your OC(s) accordingly, as the area the story takes place in is in the United States, almost bordering Canada so snow is on the ground and temperatures are 30** **ºF** **and below (sometimes even in the negatives).  
4\. Shapeshifters are in danger every day, so I'm warning you, that species can be killed faster than others. But don't let that scare you into not sending in a Shapeshifter because I rarely kill OCs, if I like them enough that is.  
5\. Humans are also in danger, and Shapeshifters can easily kill them (in their animal forms anyway).  
6\. MUTANT ZOMBIES ARE IN THIS STORY... At least that is what I planning now. xD  
7\. The app is on my profile.  
8\. I may ask you to revise or explain some things on your character, and you must do so if you want me to accept and use your character.  
9\. If you have any questions or want me to explain more on certain things, PM me please.**

* * *

 ***Just an added note and this has nothing to do with the story, but I'm looking for a co-author. Anyone interested in helping a lazy bum like me? Well, then you can PM me about it.**


	2. Casting List

**_Don't Go Into The Woods Casting List_**

 **Shapeshifters**

Hunter Strauss by **Eko-Sama** (Male; Age is 21; Main Traits: Kind, Sweet, Charismatic, Protective, Loyal, Creative, Crafty, Observant, Polite, Respectful, Brave, Stubborn, Overly-cautious, Manipulative, Erratic, Self-Loathing, Selfish, Cynical, Cunning, Masochistic, Vengeful, Insecure, and Loner.)

Shun Kirgaya by **ShinBP** (Male; Age is 20; Main Traits: Apathetic, Cautious, Hardened, Strong Willed, Serious, Mature, Sarcastic, Clever, Resourceful, and Good with kids.)

Rock Tiynt by **Knight Nate** (Male; Age is 25; Main Traits: Kind, Comical, Charismatic, Sneaky, Resourceful, Cunning, and Manipulative.)

Thea Strauss by **Mookiebear12** (Female ; Age is 19; Main Traits: Emotionally and Mentally Unstable, Cynical, Sarcastic, Maniacal, Quiet, Timid, Stubborn, Ruthless, Damaged, Selfish, Childish, Morbid, Brooding, Flippant, Chaotic, Vicious, Inhumane, Callous, Loyal, Demanding, Uncaring, Unmerciful, Impulsive, Remorseless, Sharp-Tongue, Intelligent, Erratic, Unpredictable, Vengeful, Dark Sense of Humor, Sadistic, and Masochistic.)

Xander Sturick by **enarmonios** (Male; Age is 17; Main Traits: Impatient, Rude, Overconfident, Lawful, Antisocial, Vindictive, and Vengeful.)

Jemma Garrison by **Unicorn819** (Female; Age is 19; Main Traits: Pretty Nice, Loyal, Sadistic, Sarcastic, Passive, Eager to Fight, Vengeful, Unpredictable, Stubborn, Quick-Tempered, Impulsive, Harsh, Deceitful, Vulgar Mouthed, and Kind of a Hypocrite.)

Corra Miller by **Awesome D.T** (Female; Age is 18; Main Traits: Gentle, Frail, Polite, Kind, Hypocrite, Psychotic, Pessimistic, Cautious, Cunning, Responsible, and Sensible.)

Lucy Fallandriel by **enarmonios** (Female; Age is 20; Main Traits: Cold, Sadistic, Vindictive, Sarcastic, Compulsive, Suspicious, Straightforward, Antisocial, Punctual, Rude, Manipulative, Predatory, Loyal, Realist, and Pessimistic.)

 **Humans**

Jennifer Briar by **imea619** (Female; Age is 19; Main Traits: Clever, Firm, Forceful, Independent, Jealous, Flirtatious, Blunt, Careless, Compulsive, Crude, Cruel, Cynical, Deceitful, Demanding, Devious, Disrespectful, Loyal, Aimless, Flamboyant, Impatient, Intolerant, Kinky, and Straightforward.)

Aiden Grant II by **InariKurenai** (Male; Age is 25; Main Traits: Friendly, Natural Born Leader, Kind, Brave, Jokester, Calm, and Collective.)

Vanell Gerovac by **Awesome D.T** (Female; Age is 18; Main Traits: Chaotic, Sadistic, Masochistic, Bold, Vulgar, Confident, Condescending, Bratty, Vindictive, and Practical.)

Nikolas Duncan by **UnorigonalName** (Male; Age is 20; Main Traits: Natural Leader, Respectful, Polite, Nice, Unemotional, Loyal, Brave, Tough, Bad Temper, Serious, Dark Humor, Cynical, Flirtatious, Stubborn, Proud, Intelligent, Blunt, and Confident.)

Stanley Hamilton by **AncientUnicorn** (Male; Age is 20; Main Traits: Timid, Friendly, Impulsive, Free-Spirited, Awkward, Cowardly, Fun-Loving, Eccentric, Sarcastic, Tidy, Clumsy, Loyal, Clever, Modest, Trusting, Passionate, and Compassionate.)


	3. Introduction - I

***Updated and rewritten - 2/28/2016**

 **Alright, for starters... Welcome to the 1st chapter of DGITW! Secondly, I'm NOT sorry for how long this chapter took me, mostly because I retyped/rewritten this chapter so MANY times and I was trying to make sure all the characters were IN character, and... I also got hit with that illness called "LAZY AS F" which left me being LAZY AS F! XD**

 **Luckily, Mookie sometimes picked up my slack when I was being utterly lazy and typed scenes I was kind of... stuck on? Yeah, we'll say "stuck on."**

 **And WHY do you people like to send CRAY-CRAY characters?! Seriously, some of these characters are like really, straight up... fucked in the head. *Cough* I'm looking at you, Mookie... and at you, DT *Cough***

 **Oh, and you may as well forget EVERYTHING you've read on Hunter's app (I updated the casting thingy so read what traits he has now). I had to majorly edit him because there were a lot of things just... for a lack of a better word, WRONG with him.**

 **And you can continue reading my word vomit AFTER you've finish reading the chapter because I still got a lot more things to explain; just not right now because of *cough* SPOILERS *cough***

 **So... I'll see you at the bottom.**

 **~HAPPY READING~**

* * *

 **~Introduction Arc~**

 **{One}**

* * *

Quarantine 74 was just like any other quarantine zone. It had its good neighborhoods, and it had its bad neighborhoods. If anything, the only thing that really differ Quarantine 74 from any other quarantine zones set up throughout Canada and the United States was the larger-than-normal population and larger-than-normal quarantine radius. And then there was the fact that with the combine strength of the U.S military and the Canada military, they were able to take back and secure most of Winnipeg, the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada, which was then called 'Quarantine 74' from then on after the outbreaks issued.

But this was twenty years ago, and harsh times had changed the city-turned-quarantine.

Nevertheless, Quarantine 74 still had its good neighborhoods and its bad ones. There were still rich, prosperous areas, and then there were the murkier, darker districts; the places dilapidated and worn-out that were filled with shifty-eyed men, silently brutish thugs, and illegal markets that provided for the more depraved tastes. Those were the distracts that were only reluctantly patrolled by the City Watch, the streets and squares inhabited where all residents kept some crude weapon within reach of their bed or on their being.

So, naturally, these were the places where Rock met most, if not all, of his clients (the ones that Rock had to meet up with anyway).

Currently, Rock was heading to a place called _Desire$_ , one of the more popular post-apocalyptic brothels in the dark districts. His client, a slightly overweight young man that was a year or two younger than Rock and went by the name of Ashter, was the owner of the establishment. Rock had personally met him a few times before and really wondered how a guy like Ashter, who seemed really clumsy and sickeningly polite, was the owner of something so…dark, for a lack of a better word.

Rock also wondered how _Desire$_ hadn't been rooted out as of yet, although he had a few ideas as to why it hadn't surprisingly been closed down. For one, it had a policy of utmost secrecy when it came to the identity of their clients; Rock had noted this when he sometimes (when he had to walk past the establishment to get to some clients) saw a few well-known politicians entering and leaving the brothel in subtle and not-so subtle ways and never were prosecuted by the City Watch. Although Rock had never entered the oh-so-fine establishment himself since he knew it was no regular brothel; it was BDSM (a.k.a. Bondage, Dominance and Submission, Masochism) brothel. Well, no - Rock just didn't do brothels in general so this was honestly the first time he would (VERY reluctantly) enter in a brothel, albeit one dealing with BDSM.

Secondly, it was probably blackmailing and using their connections to take care of all that meant harm to their business. That was how most things in the dark districts worked anyway.

Thankfully, Rock didn't have to change out of his sleek attire just so he could enter _Desire$_ since he already knew he wouldn't stick out like a sore-thumb. It wasn't that Rock was an unattractive guy – he actually was pretty attractive, with somewhat of a strong jawline and unique colored eyes, which were a soft shade of lavender, that contrasted pretty well against his darken, tan skin. Though he always kept his eyes hidden behind a pair of red shades since it seemed like people didn't take kindly to the color of his eyes too much.

A chilling wind blew through Rock's suit, and an involuntarily shiver ran down his spine.

 _Ugh, I knew should've worn my parka. It's gotten colder during the last few hours,_ Rock thought as he made a sharp right and continued to his destination, the ice crystals called snow crunching rather loudly (well, loud to him; not so much with others) beneath his feet each time he took a step. He'd have to make sure to clean and polish his dress shoes again, after he met up with Ashtor, otherwise the nice, grey leather would be totally ruined.

As Rock walked down the dark streets, he felt eyes staring at him with envy and bitterness. Actually, there was one guy, about a good three or four inches taller than him, that looked like he wanted nothing more than to crush Rock's head in before he angrily went inside one of the old buildings that were in a sad state of disrepair.

Rock sighed.

While he wouldn't stick out like a sore-thumb at and inside _Desire$_ , he certainly stuck out around here.

His hair, which was an ash-grey, was short and clean-cut, giving off almost a suave type of look, and his suit was dark red in color; complete with matching dress pants, a golden colored tie, and grey dress shoes. He also donned on a pair of silk gloves that were grey and a very expensive-looking sliver watch on his right wrist.

This didn't bother Rock too much though. He was already long used to the hate-filled glares by people. It wasn't his fault that he was able to buy nice things that others couldn't…

Or…

"Ye're Rock, or sumthin' like dat?"

Rock blinked in confusion.

Apparently, Rock was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice that a man was in front of him. Actually, Rock must've noticed him enough to where he did stop walking, but didn't acknowledge the grotesquely man any further than that.

Anyways, the man was a big brute; an enormous slab of muscle and aggression. He must've been at least 6'6, six inches taller than Rock. His silvery and greasy hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and his dark brown eye glared holes into Rock. The other eye, his left, was covered by a black frayed cloth, though it could not completely cover the ruined flesh around the socket that spoke of burns and a hot poker.

Immediately, Rock recognized this man to be someone called Soren, who had a reputation of being impulsive and extremely bad-tempered. Rock didn't know where he recognized Soren from, but he knew he recognized him.

This wouldn't be good, Rock thought. Especially with how the tall, immensely muscled man was looking at him very threateningly.

"Yes. What do you want?" Rock responded, his voice deep and gruff like usual.

The one-eyed man was silent for a few moments, his glare darkening by the mili-second, before he pulled out something shiny (and sharp, Rock noted) and slashed at Rock with almost lightning speed.

Rock, however, was slightly faster and easily dodged whatever Soran had tried to kill him with. He weaved around the big brute, digging inside his jacket pocket and pulling out what seemed to be a sliver butterfly knife, smoothly using a simple, yet strangely complicated motion to flip it open with impressive speed.

"…Ye're faster than I thought," Soren grumbled lowly, gripping his large bowie knife in anger before the one-eyed man quickly turned around only to find that Rock was nowhere in sight.

This only aggravated Soran, as he whirled around in confusion and anger, eye looking up and down the street they were on. No one was on the street due to the few that were there moments before already ran inside the dilapidated buildings, completely fearful that the commotion going outside would get them killed. Or, at the very least, hurt.

 _Where the **hell** did that snake go?!_

 _He must've enter one-_

Before Soran even knew what was going on, his throat was punctured by a sliver blade – Rock's blade. Immediately, Soran dropped his bowie knife while Rock retracted his butterfly knife harshly from Soran's throat, being extremely careful to not get any blood on his suit or gloves.

Soran gazed shockingly at the 25-year old man, a steady stream of bright red liquid pouring and squirting out from his throat. His large, calloused hands immediately darted to the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. But it proved to be fruitless as the blood just seeped out through his fingers, staining his shirt while droplets of crimson fell towards the earth, soiling the white snow.

"You must be one of those bounty hunters that are after me... That's why I recognized you," Rock said, mumbling the last part more to himself than to Soran, before narrowing his eyes, something the dying man couldn't see due to Rock's shades. "I wonder who sent you… Probably The Rabbits, I bet."

Soran collapsed sideways, falling against the cold stone of a wall as his world was going dark suddenly. He leaned back against it, blood still pouring out of his throat while Rock continued.

"No... No, no, it can't be them. Perhaps Maddox sent you… It seems likely that he's the one that did; The Rabbits would've just taken care of me themselves and with more people," Rock then walked towards Soran, easily snagging off a piece of cloth from Soran's jacket.

He then used the cloth to clean off the blood that coated his beautifully made butterfly knife before throwing the now bloody cloth towards the ground and flipped his knife closed, stuffing it back inside his jacket's pocket. "Really is a shame that how this turned out, with you dying and all."

With that, Rock continued to his destination; never once spending a second glance or thought about Soran, only grabbing the bowie knife that the big brute dropped since Rock realized that one of his friends, a guy that went by the name of Wulfric Mackenzie, was looking for a blade like that. He'll examine the knife later, after dealing with his client.

Rock walked and walked until he found himself in front of the building called _Desire$_.

 _I really, REALLY don't want to go in there…_

As stated before, Rock did _NOT_ do brothels of any genre, and absolutely **_nothing_** was going to change that.

A long sigh escaped Rock's lips.

 _Well, here goes nothing…_

* * *

The musky, yet strangely soothing scent of paper and worn leather permeated the air like a thick curtain. Dark reddish-brown bookcases hugged the burgundy colored walls, each bookcase fully line with old books of varying shapes and sizes. Small and tall towers of tidily stacked books laid scattered on the cherry hardwood floors. Some of the book towers were flanking the main entrance which was a large black wooden door while others flanked the narrow, spiral staircase that was place in the far left corner of the rather medium sized room.

Ghastly porcelain fingers trailed lightly across the rough and worn book covers while light hazel boots made almost little to no noise as their beautiful, frail-looking owner moved gracefully across the room, in search for a particular book that she couldn't seem to find anywhere in the old, yet well-kept library.

There was a knock on the door, prompting the porcelain-skinned girl to turn towards it, half-lidded eyes, which a bright golden shade of amber, lace with only the faintest hints of annoyance once she saw the crimson red hair and cold gray orbs. However, the annoyance in golden amber eyes was soon hidden; quickly replace by the _mask_ that the girl had perfected perfectly even down to the simplest smile.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Corry?" A soft, yet authoritative voice asked while 'Corry' almost grimace at being called that stupid nickname, but only drew a polite and 'warm' smile at the middle-age woman that was dressed in a black wool coat and gray jeans, all fitting snugly around the woman's tall, but slender frame.

"No, I did not," 'Corry' said, her quiet and sweet voice taking on a tone that could only described distress. "I thought I would have found the book I wanted by now, but it seems that not even Hunter has it in his large collection of books…"

Gray orbs watched 'Corry's' every move.

"It's most likely in here, but…" The crimson haired woman then quickly disregarded her suggestion once she saw the younger and frail-looking girl shift a bit, ghastly fingers playing with the sleeves of a gray turtleneck that clang to the frail girl's figure quite nicely. "What book were you looking for anyway? I'm sure I could help you find it, since I do have some time to spare, Corry."

'Corry' once again had to refrained herself from grimacing at the stupid nickname before her half-lidded eyes, which were half covered by paper white bangs, quickly glanced around the room. After a few moments or so, her topaz orbs then darted back to the older woman that was patiently waiting for a response.

"The book is called _Oliver Twist_ by _Charles Dickens_ ," She said meekly while dusting off imaginary dust from her dark gray capris, which were quite faded and had a pretty print of white roses on them.

"Hmm," The woman then swiftly moved around the book towers, her calf-length boots making loud * _tic-tacs_!* against the wooden floor. She was careful as to not knock down any of the towers, as she quickly made her way towards a bookcase that was somewhat near 'Corry'. Once there, she quickly pulled out a book that was on the top shelve.

"I believe that this is the book you were looking for..." The woman said, holding the book out to the young woman who was in her late adolescence.

"Ah, yes! It is," 'Corry' stared at the old book; the golden colored words 'Oliver Twist' barely readable upon the worn red leather. She reached for the book, and found that it was quite heavier than it looked once she got it in her hands. She silently cursed herself for being so physically weak before she quickly hugged it against her somewhat undeveloped chest while smiling softly – politely - at the middle-age redhead. "Thank you for helping me, Mrs. Strauss."

The woman immediately dismissed the 18 year old's appreciation, secretly finding that it was quite trivial. "It's not a problem. Oh, and please call me Vivi, dear."

"Only if you call me Corra," Corra quickly replied, flashing a polite smile at Mrs. Strauss who did the same. "But… are you completely sure that it is okay for me to be borrowing a book? I don't want to cause any problems for Hunter…" Her voice wavered only slightly as she stared at Mrs. Strauss, her orbs shadowed with apprehensiveness.

"Of course it's okay," Mrs. Strauss quickly brushed Corra off when she heard her _step-son's_ name come out of Corra's mouth before gesturing around the book towers and filled up bookcases in somewhat distaste. "As you can see, Hunter has _plenty_ of books to go around. One missing isn't going to kill him."

The way that women said Hunter's name… Corra's smile immediately disappeared and her innocent face went blank.

Her arms unconsciously hugged the book tighter to her chest while bitter and murderous thoughts filled her head.

 _…Keep on talking about my Hunter, and I swear you're going to end up with a bullet between the eyes, bitch._

The 18 year old wanted nothing more than to rip out the elder lady's intestines and strangle her with them while slowly gouging out her eyeballs. But instead, Corra settle for a nice and _polite_ goodbye that held no malice whatsoever despite the murderous hatred she held for the woman.

"If it's okay with you, I have to be going now."

"Goodbye then, Corra," Mrs. Strauss then turned towards the bookcase again, while Corra quickly made her way around the many book towers towards the door. "Please be safe!" The woman called out just as Corra reached for the door handle.

"I will! Goodbye, Ms. Vivi."

With that, Corra opened the door and slipped inside the corridor. She made sure to close the said door since it didn't seem likely that the woman would be coming out of the 'library' soon.

When the door shut, Corra fought to keep her face as neutral as possible.

That woman… really did have an effect on Corra more than she intentionally thought, especially when that wrench thought badly about HER Hunter. She tested Corra's patience more than anyone in the community, and the fact that Corra couldn't keep her mask _perfect_ around the wrench made Corra horribly despised the woman, perhaps even more than Corra despised those filthy pieces of trash called _humans_.

Corra sighed, and situated her – Hunter's – heavy book.

She had no more business here, so it would just be best to go back to school and wait for Hunter to come back to the community – to her _._

Because Hunter belonged to her...

And to her _ONLY_...

* * *

 _A heavy snowfall fell from the placid gray skies as the purge and war from the city below raged on. Panicked, bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the city while crimson and carnage was splash against the snowy dilapidated and worn out streets._

 _Bodies of the fallen, whether they'd be child, adults, or even infants, were skewed here and there, some having their skulls smashed in or their heads took off their shoulders while others were just filled with bullet holes caused by assault rifles. Small parts of the city were engulf in flames while soldiers and rebels continued to fight each, both sides losing members and spilling innocent blood._

 _In the arms of the chaos, a teenaged boy with short black hair stood. He couldn't have been over 16 of age. Long, messy bangs framed his pale, dirty face choppily as his mixture of lime green and bright blue pools stared in despair at the engulfed in flames mansion in front of him. His clothes, which only consisted of a green lightweight hoodie, dark jeans, and worn leather boots, were dirty with filth and splotches of dried blood here and there._

 _He felt like his breath had been taken from him as his turquoise colored orbs glanced over at the petite, lifeless woman lying face-down near the foot of the burning mansion. The woman's once beautiful auburn hair was now mangled red as her flora printed dress was dirtied with blood and torn in various places._

 _The boy rushed over to the woman in a flash, body shaking uncontrollably as he feverishly mumbled things under his breath as he looked at the woman who was lying in a bright red pool of her own blood. His eyes were now filled with disbelief as he felt his heart twist into a knot when he turned the woman over._

 _"No, Nonononono..."_

 _Her left shoulder was bleeding profoundly as the boy quickly scanned her with shocked and terrified eyes. With shaking hands, he tried to stop the bleeding by ripping off a large piece of fabric from his sleeve and using it as make-shift bandage. "You're going to be okay, mom. I'm...I'm just going to patch you up, okay? You'll be good as new, I promise... alright? I'm going to take care of you; It-It's not even that bad, okay...?"_

 _His muscles contracted and tensed with every move he made while he felt salt watery tears threatening to come out of his eyes as he tried to patch up the gunshot wound upon his mother's shoulder with the make-shift rag._

 _By that time, the boy, in a despondent and wild state, noticed that his mother had barely moved since he'd turned her over._

 _"Mom...?" The single word was barely over a cracked whisper, as pained and angry screams echoed out in the distance._

 _The boy was met with nerve-racking silence._

 _"M-Mom...?" He whispered yet again, his voice cracking as tears streamed down his puffy cheeks. His trembling fingers slowly cupped the woman's deathly pale cheek – almost flinching when he felt the crisp coldness against his fingertips. He hadn't realized that her usually warm alabaster skin was so...so cold... and rough._

 _Again, he received no response from the limp woman._

 _"Mama... p-please wake up," The boy stuttered with great difficultly, "W...Why won't you wake up..?" He weakly asked, his thin arms wrapping around his mother as he pulled her against his body, hugging her tightly as tears dripped down his face._

 _"Please, just wake up..." The 16 year old whimpered as he buried his face in the crook of his dead mother's neck and sobbed while the horrifying noises around them only grew louder..._

A loud groan of pain echoed throughout an old, yet very well-kept apartment. Dark red curtains were parted to let the morning sunlight stream into the tidy room as an audible _thud!_ was heard. Light footsteps made their way towards a young man that was promptly lying on the floor, clutching his stomach as that was the area a shoe had hit him in.

Despite the fact that it was mid-winter, the lanky male, better known as Hunter, only wore navy blue boxers and a black sleeveless shirt that clang to his thin yet lean body. He quickly slapped a hand over his eyes to shield out the brutal sun rays hitting his face.

"Sunlight is... _evil_ ," Hunter whined, clearly not very happy with how he was woken up as he tried to hide his face from the bright, glaring sun rays by grabbing his pillow from the couch and buried his face in it.

Not even a few moments later, a soft, but firm kick to his leg made Hunter remove the pillow from his face with a groan, ignoring the brutal light of his most despised enemy in the mornings; the sun. His bluish-green colored orbs trailed towards the slim 5'4 angel that was known as his baby sister, Thea.

Due to still being half-asleep, his usually perfect vision was rather hazy, but he could still make out his beautiful little sister he adorned so much. Unlike him, Thea's sleepwear consisted of a gray sweatshirt and red shorts, both of which were loose and baggy on her slender frame, considering they were HIS clothes (for an unknown reason, Thea only wore his clothes to bed and never her own).

Her head was tilting slightly to the side as a strand of black hair fell over her innocent-looking face, but Thea made no moves to move it which was understandable, considering her pale hands were otherwise occupied with playing with the loose, messy braid that held her long dark wavy locks captive.

"Ne, what's so important. . .that you have to. . . wake an insomniac. . . from one of the rare sleeps he gets?" Hunter groggily asked, scratching the back of his head. It wasn't like he wanted to go back to sleep anyway, not after having to experience that horrible nightmare.

Thea blinked, her fingers stilled before she started clutching her braid like it was a lifeline.

"What? What's wrong?" Hunter asked, not noticing how his sister looked at him with worry as he closed his eyes and covered a yawn that wanted to escape his lips.

Thea's hands, which were shifting unsurely now, twisted the braid they held in their grasp while she bit her bottom lips, her sliver orbs now staring at Hunter with an intensity that was not, in any way, readable.

 _Why is she just... staring at me? Is there really someth-_

Hunter's thoughts were cut off as he glanced down at his lap where he put his pillow at, noticing a few wet stains on the soft gray fabric. "I was… crying in my sleep?" Hunter asked, while he looked back at Thea.

Thea's fingers tensed while her shoulders scrunched up to her ears. Her eyes darted away from Hunter, staring at the hardwood floors instead. A meek, short nod was all Hunter needed to see.

 _I was crying..._

 _And Thea saw it..._

 _Shit._

"I-I'm fine, Thea!" came the shaken but icily-toned response, as Hunter scrambled up to his feet, suddenly becoming more alarmed and awake. He immediately noticed those mesmerizing sliver orbs were still shadowed with concerned and. . .

Hurt.

 _See what you did, you **fucking** asshole!_

Hunter torn his eyesight from his baby sister, feeling utterly disgusted with himself.

 _Why the hell did you response like that? You don't deserve someone like Thea, who cares only about you and your well-being, if all you're going to fucking do is hurt them! Apologize and make her happy NOW!_ Hunter's conscious screamed at him as he began to nervously twiddle his thumbs, turquoise eyes now shadowing with guilt and remorse. It was an old habit he had since childhood and he just couldn't seem to break it, no matter how hard he tried to.

"I... I-I'm so..." Hunter stuttered out before deeply exhaling, and clearing his throat.

A simple apology will _not_ do it. Not for Thea anyway.

Running a hand through his soft black locks, Hunter looked back at his sister and smiled his signature lop-sided grin.

"I just had a really bad nightmare, Thea. It's nothing to worry about.. Really, I'm okay now," Hunter assured, his voice timid and warm-sounding as he attentively watched Thea closely for any possible reactions he might get.

Thea's eyes narrowed just a bit before flashing an open-mouthed smile at her older brother, making large dimples appear in both of her cheeks. Her teeth were pearly white and her mouth, for some reason, did this funny thing where it pulled further up at one side much like how Hunter's did whenever he smiled. Honestly, it looked kind of dorky and very cute as she stood on her tip-toes and lightly pecked Hunter's cheek before heading to the kitchen to, presumably, make herself and Hunter some breakfast. . . or eat all of his DELICIOUS brownies.

 _Nah, I don't think she'll do that._

Hunter stood up, cracking his sore and tense muscles from having to sleep on the hard couch. He grunted approvingly when the tension left the areas with audible 'pops'. Letting out yet another yawn, he shuffled down the hallway to the bathroom. Once entered, he closed the bathroom door and relieved himself (a.k.a. answering Nature's call), and then turned to face the shower and turned the knob on the wall, allowing the water to flow freely from the shower head.

He and Thea were pretty lucky to get this apartment, especially one that had hot running water and was in the downtown district of the city. Sure, the siblings had to blackmail and manipulate a few of the higher-ups... But it was definitely worth it.

Stripping off his clothes and laying them neatly on the toilet seat, Hunter waited a few minutes before stepping into the steady stream of water, enjoying the hot water trailing down his body as he began to cleanse his fair skin and dark hair. The water was scalding hot, but Hunter didn't not flinch or cry out. Even though he wasn't very fond of hot weather, he liked hot water very much. It made him feel clean.

He washed his hair, scrubbing out all of the knots quickly as he could muster. After that, he scrubbed most of his body with some scented soap Thea had been able to make.

A very kind elderly lady that went by the name of Mable lived in the same apartment building as the siblings showed Thea how to make various things, including soap. Since Mable was very old, almost approaching 87, it both amazed and shocked Hunter that she was able to live so long. Although, it did warrant suspicion as to how Mable was able to survive, especially since he rarely saw Mable leave her home and as far as Hunter knew, all her relatives were either decease or their current status was unknown.

A few minutes later, Hunter was out of the shower with only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He'd already wiped most of the moisture from his body, and his hair was only slightly damp now. He spared a look up at the old mirror that was situated above the built-in sink countertop, his pretty mixture of lime green and bright blue orbs studying every nook and cranny of his reflection.

His subtly wavy, yet short-medium hair was an inky black color, curtaining choppily over his forehead while a few pieces fell between his eyes. His skin was pretty fair; not too light and not too dark, and he did have light freckles dotting the bridge of his nose as well as his cheeks.

However, Hunter did have some painful-looking scars running up and down his exposed body.

Though, his eyes were his most predominant feature as he knew they were the first thing people noticed about him. While generally his eyes held no hostility, his aquamarine orbs held an intensity in them that was not, in any way, readable just like his little sister's. Then there was also the fact that his eyes always had a predatory-like quality to them (despite the fact that Hunter was generally friendly and warm as the sunshine) that made it either unsettling to look him in the eye or made people around him feel intimidated, so Hunter tended to avoid direct eye-contact with Shapeshifters and Humans alike.

Hunter slid on his boxers while putting the towel on the rack to be use for later in the process. After that, the young male grabbed his remaining clothing, which was only his shirt, and walked out into the corridor towards the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Thea looked up with wide eyes once she heard the door knob to the bathroom turn, a brownie shoved halfway down her throat while a kitchen knife that she currently held in her slender hand was stabbed through yet another brownie.

"Hey, Thea! I was wondering if you.." Hunter's voice trailed off once he saw that his little sister was eating ALL of his _delicious_ and _precious_ brownies. He stared incredulously at the (mostly-eaten) pan of the chocolatey goods, while Thea slowly chewed the brownie in her mouth, swallowing it apprehensively while her brother's turquoise eyes shifted back and forth from her and the remaining brownies.

"Did you just," Hunter began in a relatively controlled voice, "eat MOST of the brownies that Miss Maple baked LAST NIGHT for _us_?"

Thea looked at Hunter, and then at the brownie she currently had her knife stabbed through. Slowly, the small 19 year old took a bite out of it all while looking at Hunter with the most cutest puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen.

However, Hunter completely ignored this gesture (so unlike him) and his brows drew together in a frown. "You DO know what this means, little sister?"

Thea bit her lip, slowly swallowing the small piece of brownie in her mouth before shaking her head from side to side innocently; like she _just_ did not do a dastardly crime of the century.

"It means that you, Thea Lynne Strauss, are not only an origami-loving, violin-playing, cuddle-monster-who-drools-in-her-sleep bookworm, but a _brownie-thief_ as well," Hunter narrowed his eyes slightly, arms crossing over his chest as he closed his eyes, "I don't know if I can be siblings with a _brownie-thief_."

Hunter fought to keep his face serious, he really did, but after a second or two later, the young man busted out laughing, clutching his stomach as Thea blinked in surprise, alabaster cheeks glowing suprisingly red.

Oh, how Thea hated when Hunter teased her, and on top of that, laughed his ass off for no apparent reason.

As Hunter continued to laugh, his chest heaving as he gasped for air, Thea's cheeks grew redder and redder until finally the dark haired girl pursed her lips and moved, setting the knife down in the process.

 _This means WAR, Huntie. . ._ The sliver-eyed 19 year old thought before she slowly moved around the counter towards her _beloved_ older sibling, her eyes darkening to sliver slits.

Hunter was now leaning against the couch for support, a hand covering his eyes as he laughed uncontrollably. Hunter then uncovered his eyes once he heard light footsteps tapping against the wooden floor, still laughing and gasping for air. Quickly, his eyes darted over to Thea, who was... running towards him with some type of a murderous/playful glint in her eyes and... something along the lines of a maniacal grin spread across her face?

Hunter immediately stopped laughing while fear overtook his body. His sweet, little _ANGEL_ of sister had turned into a wild, little _DEVIL_.

 _OH MOTHER OF ALL THAT'S WONDERFUL AND SMOTHER IN BROWNIES AND WATERMELON ICE-CREAM, I'VE AWAKEN THE DEVIL!_

An audible _thud!_ was heard, followed shortly by a (girly-like) "GAH!"

* * *

 **Okay, so that was the first chapter… Kind of boring, isn't it? Oh, and the reason why Hunter and Thea have more "screen time" is because I went overboard with editing. Usually, I don't do that when I have a bunch of other characters to choose from. And I only introduce 3 (not including Hunter)… That's sad, I'm sad. TT-TT**

 **Also, I lied in the author's note above; I'm SUPER tired, so I explain things next chapter… whenever that'll be. XD**

 ***Just a little note: Thea is mute… Well, no; Thea can talk, she just refuses to do so… She has much more than a simple case of selective mutism. This is for the people who didn't know...because I suck at explaining things. :P**


End file.
